“I think that Vance is doing a disservice to himself, and a disservice to the United States Marine Corps…Marines show respect, and Vance is not showing respect,” Ventura told CNN’s Laura Coates Friday of the Ohio senator, who is also a Marine Corps veteran.
“His point of being a Marine, like he is, and then criticizing the governor after 24 years of service, it’s despicable on his behalf for doing that,” he added.
Vance made headlines this week when he accused Walz of “stolen valor,” referring to a video in which the Democratic governor implied that he saw combat during his two decades with the National Guard.
The “Hillbilly Elegy” author, 40, deployed to Iraq with the Marines in 2005, and served in an administrative position.
His comments about Walz betrayed an “unwritten rule among us veterans,” said Ventura, who served the US Navy during the Vietnam War.
“You don’t criticize another veteran,” the former WWE star, 73, insisted.
Walz, 60, faced renewed scrutiny over his military record since he was confirmed as Kamala Harris’ running mate on Tuesday.
In addition to allegations that he exaggerated his combat experience, the Minnesota governor was also accused of being “cowardly” when he retired in May 2005 and ran for Congress as opposed to deploying to Iraq with his unit.
Ventura, who did not see direct combat in Vietnam, argued that the legitimacy of a veteran’s service record was not dependent on their proximity to the front line.
“Not every veteran’s a knuckle dragger,” he said, using a slang term to refer to the infantry, special forces or paramilitary components of the US military.
“You don’t criticize another veteran and how they served! Whether they’re a cook or whatever they do, they all have a job to do,” he added.
Ventura – who endorsed Kamala Harris for president – also expressed dismay at Vance’s support for Donald Trump, whom he accused of being “the biggest draft dodger of the Vietnam War.”
Trump, 78, was medically exempt from the draft at the height of conflict in Vietnam due to bone spurs.
Ventura – who endorsed Kamala Harris for president – also expressed dismay at Vance’s support for Donald Trump, whom he accused of being “the biggest draft dodger of the Vietnam War.”
During a rally in Montana on Friday night, Trump accused Harris and Walz of running on a “fake record.”
Vance and Walz may get to duke out their differences during a vice presidential debate this fall – though Walz’s one-time opponent warned the Ohio senator that the face-off was unlikely.
“My advice to JD Vance is I wouldn’t want to make a hotel reservation and make sure it’s not refundable,” quipped Dr. Scott Jensen, who ran against Walz in the heated 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial race.
“If it’s politically strategic, I think he’ll do it regardless of what he told people he will do,” he added of the possibility that Walz could decide not to debate his opponent in the end.
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